The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the most active teams this summer. Obviously, the Jaylen Brown trade sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, but after that, they even signed Anfernee Simons. However, those moves don’t really add up. Simons is a quality NBA player, but signing him after trading for Brown – creating a less-than-ideal defensive lineup – is quite the puzzling decision.
Brown is a good point-of-attack defender when he’s locked in, but he struggles off-ball at times, and his focus has a tendency to wane. Tyrese Maxey is small, VJ Edgecombe is a fine defender, and Joel Embiid can get burnt at this stage of his career. Plus, all four of those guys are elite bucket-getters. So, why sign another bucket-getter for the bench?
There’s only one ball. The 76ers can only dole out shots to so many guys. They need defenders, and Simons just isn’t that.
Anfernee Simons was wrong signing for 76ers after Jaylen Brown trade
Simons was a fine signing for the Sixers. He’s an objectively talented basketball player who can help them space the floor. He’ll be able to create for himself at times, too.
Unfortunately, after trading Paul George to the Boston Celtics for Brown, Simons just isn’t the type of player the 76ers should have been looking to sign in free agency. They don’t need him.
At his core, Simons is a bucket. He’s a guy who can score at will and let it fly from behind the three-point line. That’s great. And the Sixers could use spacing. But what they really need is defense.
Again, Brown’s defensive concerns are real. He’s great when he locks in, but when he doesn’t, he can be rough. Maxey is small, Edgecombe is just fine, and Embiid gets bullied on the perimeter.
That leaves Dean Wade as the lone defensive stopper in Philadelphia right now. At least, in their starting lineup. Philly should have been searching for a guy who could come in off the bench and defend at a high level.
Instead, they chose a guy who, for all his offensive talent, has been a defensive liability for almost his entire career. He’s one of the worst defenders in the NBA.
Philadelphia already has a dearth of defensive talent on its roster, and especially in the backcourt. So, why would they sign another guy who struggles to defend at the guard position?
Simons is a talented player, but he just doesn’t make sense for the Sixers. Especially not after the Brown trade.
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